ABC celebrating 50 Years Of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

Fifty years? Good grief! “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” first broadcast reluctantly by CBS in 1965, will air twice on ABC before Christmas, along with a one-hour musical salute to the award-winning cartoon.

ABC also celebrates the 20th anniversary of “Toy Story,” with a one-hour tribute in December to Pixar Animation Studios which revolutionized computer-generated animation.

There’s no mention in the release of all the drama at CBS before the cartoon aired in 1965: CBS executives didn’t like Linus quoting the Bible, or the anti-commercialism message (on a commercial TV network!), the absence of adult voices, or Vince Guaraldi’s jazz music. Of course, the TV executives were wrong.

"A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first-ever Peanuts TV special, was a huge ratings hit, and won an Emmy Award and a prestigious Peabody Award. It has aired every year since, and prompted CBS, ABC and Fox to order dozens more Peanuts TV shows.

Both shows repeat Christmas Eve.

The “Toy Story 20th Anniversary Special” airs 8 p.m.Thursday, Dec. 10, followed by “Toy Story” (9-11 p.m., Channel 9, ABC). The special includes comments from the producers, animators, technical artists, designers and some of the film’s voice talent and probably some talk about the “Toy Story 4” sequel due out in June 2018.

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WVXU politics reporter Howard Wilkinson talked with news director Maryanne Zeleznik Monday about Tuesday's general election in the Tristate and the special election to be held next June to replace former House Speaker John Boehner in Ohio's 8th Congressional District.

If you are going to your polling place Tuesday – or if you have voted already – you are likely in the minority among your friends, your co-workers, and your neighbors.

Most of them will not vote in Tuesday’s election – either in Kentucky, where they are choosing a new governor; or in Ohio, where voters are being asked to approve not only the legalization of marijuana but the creation of a large and likely very profitable industry to grow, process and sell it.

New governor? Legalizing marijuana? Sounds to us like the kind of things that should bring voters out in droves.